New Dakota adds size, muscle

Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, April 28, 2005

Already the biggest and brawniest non-full-size pickup truck, the Dodge Dakota gets even larger and brawnier for 2005.

Its ride is improved, too, and so is its safety. The look is crisper, and there are new options, including a second V-8, heated cloth seats and satellite radio.

But the base two-door Dakota with only front seats has been dropped from the lineup, putting the lowest-priced '05 Dakota -- a Club Cab with rear-hinged access doors and two small rear seats-- at more than $19,000 for manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge.

The popular four-door Dakota Quad Cab with regular back seats and four front-hinged doors is priced even higher and starts at $21,419.

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In contrast, the 2005 Chevrolet Colorado starts at $15,730 for a regular-cab, two-wheel-drive model with four-cylinder engine, and the 2004 Toyota Tacoma Regular Cab starts at $13,000 for a two-wheel-drive model with four-cylinder engine.

The 2005 Dakota, which does not offer a four cylinder, "delivers full-size pickup capability in a midsize package ... offering better fuel economy and maneuverability than a full-size pickup," said Mike Donoughe, vice president of the body-on-frame product team at DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group.

Introduced in the 1990s as a new "midsize" truck, the Dakota was difficult to characterize. It was larger than traditional compact trucks such as the Ford Ranger and Chevrolet S-10, but smaller than full-size models such as the Dodge Ram and Ford F-150.

Now, though, other automakers are making their small trucks larger.

The Chevrolet Colorado and its twin GMC Canyon, for example, debuted in the past model year as larger models than the S-10 and GMC Sonoma that they replaced, and Toyota's Tacoma pickup is bigger for 2005

And the '05 Dakota is 3.7 inches longer than the 2004 model, for an overall length of 218.8 inches. That compares with 207 inches for the largest Colorado model and 208.1 inches for the largest '05 Tacoma.

Dodge officials said they wanted to appeal to truck buyers who use their vehicles every day and like a roomier interior and strong power.

Indeed, the Dakota already was the only midsize truck to offer a V-8. For 2005, it becomes the only one with two V-8s, including a high-output version of its 4.7-liter, single-overhead-cam, Magnum V-8.

It generates 250-plus horsepower and 300-plus foot-pounds of torque at 3,500 rpm.

In the test Dakota Quad Cab Laramie 4X4, this engine powered the truck strongly, and pleasing, confident engine sounds could be heard every time I touched the accelerator pedal.

There was no laziness to this vehicle as it passed others on the highway without fuss and moved through city traffic quickly.

The only transmission for this engine is a five-speed automatic, and this V-8 delivers the poorest fuel economy of the three power plants available in the Dakota: 14 miles a gallon in city driving and 18 mpg on the highway.

The rating is the same for two- and four-wheel-drive high-output V-8 models. Premium gasoline is recommended for the high-output V-8.

But even Dakotas with the carryover base engine from last year -- the 210-horsepower, 3.7-liter, single overhead cam, Magnum V-6 with 235 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm -- aren't exactly fuel sippers.

The best fuel-economy rating for a 2005 Dakota with V-6 is 17/22 mpg for a two-wheel-drive model with four-speed automatic.

The V-6 can be had with either the automatic or a new, six-speed manual transmission that replaces the five-speed from last year.

Note that no other midsize truck offers a V-8. None can rival the Dakota's 7,150-pound towing capacity, either. Dodge executives said 60 percent of all Dakotas sold have a V-8.

The Chevy Colorado comes with a top 220-horsepower, 3.5-liter, five-cylinder engine capable of 225 foot-pounds of torque. The 2005 Toyota Tacoma's top engine -- a 4-liter, double-overhead-cam V-6 -- generates 245 horses and 282 foot-pounds of torque at 3,800 rpm.

Thanks to a stronger, fully boxed frame and new front and rear suspension, the test Dakota rode more smoothly than its predecessors. The shudder and shake that accompanied earlier Dakotas are gone, but I still experienced some bobbing up and down when the Dakota hit a pothole or large bump in the road.

I had good views in front of me, and the ride was quieter, because of extra sound insulation that includes better door weather stripping, thicker glass on the front doors and twice-as-thick insulation on the floor and dashboard panel. Outside mirrors are redesigned for less wind noise, too.

Quad Cabs are at least half of all Dakotas sold, and they still have rear seats that recline a bit, so back-seat passengers don't ride in straight, upright form. Front and rear doors open wide, and at 5 feet 4, I didn't have to climb up awkwardly to get inside.

The Dakota Quad Cab back seat is one of the easiest to move out of the way. There's no lever or loop to tug on. Rather, a person just slides a hand under the seat cushion and lifts the cushion up to the back wall, exposing 37.1 cubic feet of cargo space for use. This is up 7.2 cubic feet from the previous Dakota Quad Cab.

Quad Cab rear headroom is impressive at 38.4 inches. That compares with 37.9 inches in the four-door Colorado and 38.5 inches in the Tacoma Double Cab.

Rear-seat legroom of 36.4 inches is more than the 34.7 inches of the Colorado and 32.6 inches of the Tacoma Double Cab.

Safety is improved in a number of areas, including the addition of a center shoulder belt for the middle person in the back seat of the Quad Cab.

Also, the extra length of the vehicle largely contributes to a longer front end for better crashworthiness, and side curtain air bags are available for the first time.

There are two bed sizes on the new Dakota. The Club Cab comes with a 6-foot-6-inch-long bed, whereas the Quad Cab has a 5-foot- 4-inch bed.

The height of the bedsides remains at 176.1 inches, so it's not difficult to look over the side and see what's in the pickup bed.

Dodge said 88 percent of the buyers of the Dakota are men. Median age is around 45, and annual income starts at $40,000-plus.